Funny tailed fish on the Yuba???

[cyama]

In the past two weeks I have caught two rainbows with round tails on the Yuba??? I am guessing they went over Englebright or came out of Deer Creek. They eat dry flies like the rest and seem to be as athletic as the other wild fish. Not a great feat, but just wondering if you have seen these round tailed fish?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Did they look like wild spawners with worn tails from making beds or did they look like hatchery raised fish with smaller rounded tails?

[cyama]

These fish are definitely hatchery fish and not the ones from the Feather with clipped adipose fins. A normal Yuba fish has clear fins and a full tail as in the last photo.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Definitely poor quality hatchery fish.......raised in very crowded conditions.



There are also much higher quality hatchery raised fish that have very nice fins and tails.

These are put in some of the better private water fisheries.

[bigfly]

Up here they are referred to as "club tails".......visually correct....and often planted for members who are fish challenged.
Why have rivers that are healthy with wild fish.....when you can easily chase fish who have no idea what a bug is.....?
Then, crow about it on face book........
I think we should save the river....and learn how to fish.

Jim

[PV_Premier]

These fish are definitely hatchery fish and not the ones from the Feather with clipped adipose fins. A normal Yuba fish has clear fins and a full tail as in the last photo.

Wonder where they came from. Maybe washed over the dam? Do they stock Englebright?

[kilgore]

Wonder where they came from. Maybe washed over the dam? Do they stock Englebright?

A few years ago I stopped by Englebright Reservoir in the late spring. Around the docks there were net pens holding stocker rainbows soon to be released. Some of them were lunkers, and I'm not sure what size fish are consistently planted there. So, Englebright Reservoir is a possible source of planted rainbows. Other upstream possibilities are Lake Wildwood (on Deer Creek), or Collins Lake (on Dry Creek).

It looks like Englebright Dam spilled over the top last November 18th, because that day the river gage below Englebright Dam (but above Deer Creek) rose to 6800 cfs. This is a flow over 3,000 cfs higher than the max flow that can be released through the two Narrows powerhouses combined (3400 cfs). The drop over a spilling Englebright Dam is about 250 feet. Could rainbow survive that fall? Don't know.

Another possibility is that planted rainbows migrated in to the lower Yuba River, and upstream through the fish ladders at Daguerre Dam. Not sure this is probable for planted rainbows, but small rainbows have been detected passing upstream and downstream through the ladders... but I think this usually occurs in the late spring and early summer. Yuba County Water Agency holds all of the fish monitoring data from the Daguerre Dam ladders. It seems that since this Dam is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, they should be holding the information too... along with California Fish and Game.

[PV_Premier]

A few years ago I stopped by Englebright Reservoir in the late spring. Around the docks there were net pens holding stocker rainbows soon to be released. Some of them were lunkers, and I'm not sure what size fish are consistently planted there. So, Englebright Reservoir is a possible source of planted rainbows. Other upstream possibilities are Lake Wildwood (on Deer Creek), or Collins Lake (on Dry Creek).

It looks like Englebright Dam spilled over the top last November 18th, because that day the river gage below Englebright Dam (but above Deer Creek) rose to 6800 cfs. This is a flow over 3,000 cfs higher than the max flow that can be released through the two Narrows powerhouses combined (3400 cfs). The drop over a spilling Englebright Dam is about 250 feet. Could rainbow survive that fall? Don't know.

Another possibility is that planted rainbows migrated in to the lower Yuba River, and upstream through the fish ladders at Daguerre Dam. Not sure this is probable for planted rainbows, but small rainbows have been detected passing upstream and downstream through the ladders... but I think this usually occurs in the late spring and early summer. Yuba County Water Agency holds all of the fish monitoring data from the Daguerre Dam ladders. It seems that since this Dam is owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, they should be holding the information too... along with California Fish and Game.

I'd be interested to hear Jon Baiocchi's thoughts on where these came from. As you mentioned I'd expect Feather River hatchery brats to be fin clipped.

[cyama]

Englebright is a stocker lake so probably where they came from, I guess the good thing is that no one else is catching them. Here is the stocking report https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/Default.aspx?county=Nevada. I hope it not going to be like what happened on the East Carson. They plant so many trout on the East Carson that you will find planters all the way up to Markleeville Creek and up beyond to the Airport Access.

[Troutstalker55B]

I'd be interested to hear Jon Baiocchi's thoughts on where these came from. As you mentioned I'd expect Feather River hatchery brats to be fin clipped.

Definitely downstream recruitment...from Harrington's resort (LOL). Lots of different individual systems enter Englebright so it will a tough mystery to solve. Kinda proud of them for surviving in the 24 hour treadmill, and the leap of faith over the dam. - J.

[cdevine]

I'm with JB.. I'm sort of amazed they survived in the system that long if they did spill over from the lake. Typically hatchery raised fish don't make it long at all in the "wild". But it sounds like its an anomaly and not the norm on the Yuba. (unlike East Carson where they have pumped way to much juice in that system and now you have commingling....)

[John Sv]

I'm with JB.. I'm sort of amazed they survived in the system that long if they did spill over from the lake. Typically hatchery raised fish don't make it long at all in the "wild". But it sounds like its an anomaly and not the norm on the Yuba. (unlike East Carson where they have pumped way to much juice in that system and now you have commingling....)

Off topic but Webber Lake fish routinely survive a big ol double-drop over Webber falls and are found in the canyon and Perazzo Meadows. I cannot fathom how.